Hudson Institute Events Podcast

Thanks to the survival of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Iran has established a permanent position in Syria. From this position, Tehran spreads its influence in the eastern Mediterranean and assists other malevolent actors, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.  In a new essay, Israeli Middle East analyst Ehud Yaari cites these factors, among others, as proof that Israel i...

Yevgeny Prigozhin took a shocking step on Friday, redirecting units of his Wagner Private Military Company from Ukraine into Russia. Footage of Wagner forces charging toward Moscow seized the world, and Vladimir Putin dug in to defend his capital. The day ended in an unspecified deal, apparently brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, but little is known about its terms. What is cle...

Freedom, prosperity, and security are increasingly interconnected with technology. Nathaniel C. Fick’s role as the inaugural United States ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy is a testament to our current age of rapidly developing technology—and how the State Department views various implications for foreign policy. What does US international leadership in tech diplomacy mean? Ho...

The preponderance of circumstantial evidence supports the hypothesis that an unintentional research-related incident initiated the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party refuses to release any of the data required to verify the alternate, zoonotic hypothesis. In April, the Republicans on the Senate HELP (Health, Environment, and Pensions) Committee released Muddy Waters , a repo...

A cover story in The Economist billed it as the "Most Important Election of 2023.” On May 28, Turkish voters headed back to the polls to decide a contest that pitted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The election was a referendum on, among other things, Erdoğan’s economic policies, response to the earthquake, and balancing of Moscow and Washington. And...

For decades, global technological standards have enabled the development of a thriving, innovative, and competitive ecosystem that has benefited markets and consumers worldwide. As the geopolitical race for leadership in critical technologies expands, nearly every major country is evaluating policy measures to expand its role in the development of global standards.  What are the key challenges the...

On June 6, please join Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council Kurt Campbell and Hudson Institute Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead for a discussion on United States foreign policy and America’s role in the world. Dr. Campbell will offer his perspective on American strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. Dr. Campbell has served in several government positions, inc...

Please join Hudson’s China Center for a panel discussion with the architects of the AUKUS agreement—former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Seventieth US Secretary of State and Distinguished Fellow Michael R. Pompeo—on what this monumental diplomatic and security achievement.

In an increasingly complex world, energy remains the one constant. We need it to drive our cars, turn on the lights, power our militaries, and everything in between. The rest of the twenty-first century will bring unprecedented challenges and changes to the way we power our lives. What does the future hold, and how can the United States rise to the occasion? Please join Hudson Senior Fellow and Di...

The Daniel Ortega regime arrested Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, a former foreign minister and ambassador to the United States from Nicaragua, as part of a crackdown on domestic opponents in 2021. The government sentenced him for alleged crimes against national sovereignty and held him in El Chipote prison until February 2023, when he and 221 other political prisoners were released and deported to the...

Force structure—which includes the allocation of personnel, equipment, and weapons—is one of the most important and overlooked components of military readiness. With rising threats abroad, the US military needs to maintain a force structure that allows it to project combat power whenever and wherever it is required.  Please join Jon Askonas, a military scholar and assistant professor of politics a...

A recently released Senate report found that drug shortages increased by nearly 30 percent from 2021 to 2022. One prevailing cause for this issue is that 80 to 90 percent of critical medical supplies are manufactured overseas—particularly in China. How does this vulnerability affect our national security?  Please join former US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Hudson...

Russia’s armed forces and proxy troops have committed an array of mass atrocities in Ukraine, including widespread and systematic attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, arbitrary detentions, torture and ill treatment, rape and other sexual violence, and the forcible displacement of thousands of children. The evidence suggests that Russia is using war crimes, crimes against humanity...

After Vladimir Putin assembled upward of 100,000 troops along the Ukraine border over one year ago, his full-scale invasion of Ukraine has proven anything but successful. Russia’s initial attack on Kyiv failed, and its subsequent setbacks in Kharkiv and Kherson only further highlighted the poor performance of Moscow’s armed forces. By contrast, the people of Ukraine have fought heroically and tena...

Fighting that broke out on April 15 in Sudan continues throughout the country despite several declared ceasefires. The conflict among Sudanese security forces has already killed hundreds, decimated critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and severely damaged the energy grid. An unknown number of foreigners, including Americans, are trapped in Sudan. Roving bands of fighters are looting property...

Join Hudson Institute Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East Michael Doran and Director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia Peter Rough for a discussion with the Twentieth United States National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley on his new book,  Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama. About the Book Hand-Off offers a firsthand look at the for...

As the State of Israel celebrates 75 years of independence, the country is going through its most acrimonious political and social discord in recent memory. Friends and allies of the Jewish state are trying hard to understand and influence the outcome, while Israel’s enemies are testing its defenses and will. In this event, panelists will share their insights about what to expect in and around Isr...

China is offering Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure and security pacts to extend its strategic influence deep into the Pacific. Although Beijing has suffered diplomatic setbacks, including accusations of bribery and bullying, America should not take its position as a strong Pacific power for granted.  Join Hudson Institute in person or online on Friday, April 28, at 11:00 a.m. for a conversa...

The US military faces one of its most serious readiness challenges in recent history. The Army did not meet its recruitment goals, falling nearly 15,000 soldiers short at the end of the last fiscal year. At that same time, junior enlisted service members are underpaid and often unable to afford basic necessities for their families. All the while, our military continues to face procurement shortfal...

Japan’s adoption of a pathbreaking National Security Strategy in December 2022 began a transformative period for Japanese security policy. In their meeting in January 2023, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed joint efforts to strengthen the bilateral alliance to meet heightened challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Kishida has shown bold leadership of the democr...

For 70 years, the world’s oceans have been a global commons protected by America’s dominance of the high seas. However, since the end of World War II, the active US Navy fleet has shrunk from nearly 1,000 ships to fewer than 300. China and Russia are eager to fill this dangerous vacuum.  Please join retired Navy Captain Dr. Jerry Hendrix and Hudson Senior Fellow Timothy Walton for a conversation a...

Hudson Institute will host Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský for remarks on the Czech view of the Indo-Pacific, the war in Ukraine, and transatlantic relations, followed by a conversation with Europe and Eurasia Center Director Peter Rough. Minister Lipavský has made transatlantic cooperation, democratic values, and human rights the centerpieces of his agenda since becoming foreign mi...

Though some African countries strongly denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many African states have declined to condemn the Kremlin in United Nations resolutions. This reticence surprised Western policymakers, but it shouldn’t have. As Russia’s aggression in Ukraine continues to reverberate in Africa, please join Hudson Senior Fellows Peter Rough and Joshua Meservey as they welcome Joseph S...

With speculation rife about a spring counteroffensive, continued churn in Vladimir Putin’s approach to his illegal war, and the Vilnius NATO summit in July, the coming months will be critical for Ukraine’s future.    Join us for a conversation about the latest developments in Ukraine and what an endgame could look like with visiting former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, International Re...

Please join Rebeccah Heinrichs, Hudson senior fellow and director of the Keystone Defense Initiative, for a conversation with Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Ms. Heinrichs and Gen. Bussiere will discuss the AFGSC’s role as the combat support to US Strategic Command, current AFGSC priorities, and the future weapons and platforms the AFGSC will requ...